Mason a rock as Flyers run away from Avalanche

Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov looks back at a puck the got away — shot by the Flyers’ Mark Streit, not pictured, as Brayden Schenn, right, looks on during the second period of the Flyers’ 3-1 win Thursday. (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

PHILADELPHIA — With one game to go before what management purists would consider a futile two-plus week break for the Olympics, the Flyers showed Thursday night they’re prepared to do exactly what they have to do to make the playoffs: Play at home the same way they’ve been playing on the road.

Mixing superb penalty killing with attention to defensive detail throughout, and exhibiting patience on the power play and moments of ferocity on the forecheck, the Flyers overcame some early rustiness to shut down and shovel away the Colorado Avalanche, 3-1, at Wells Fargo Center.

Pending Olympians Mark Streit and Michael Raffl scored to post an early lead for the Flyers, and Claude Giroux clinched it with an empty net goal in the final seconds.

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The victory was only possible, however, because goalie Steve Mason kicked away several shots that could have or should have been goals for the Avalanche (36-16-5, 77 points), who have followed a four-game winning streak with losses to a pair of rampaging Metropolitan types, the Rangers and Flyers.

As for the Flyers (29-23-6, 64 points), they seemed to have a shaky moment or three getting their game in gear against the Avs. But once they did, the Flyers played at the same high level that produced victories on the road in Los Angeles and San Jose.

Now only a Saturday home game against Calgary separates them from a potential momentum-breaking Olympic hiatus, though the schedule will be kind when they return, as 14 of the Flyers’ final 23 games will be played at home.

Provided they keep playing the same way, that seems like a workable plan for a playoff spot.

Any plan that paints Mason as the crease stalwart has a chance at succeeding these days. He seems to have regained his pre-holidaze form, stopping 38 Avalanche shots to nail down the win. Only a Nathan MacKinnon sharp-angle wrist shot prevented Mason from getting what would have been a third shutout in five games. Mason did much of the work despite playing on a sore leg late in the game.

But just after allowing the Avs to get within a goal, Mason made a huge post-to-post save on P.J. Parenteau to keep the lead intact. He had to withstand another minute-plus of Avs pressure with an extra skater until Simmonds won a race to a cleared puck and got it to Giroux to ice the game.

Earlier, the Flyers gained energy from their goalie’s work, though failing to produce on a five-minute major power play (which was short-circuited by a Wayne Simmonds minor) sapped some of their momentum.

But the Flyers’ forechecking efforts began to leave the Avalanche chasing from behind in the second period, and that gave them another power play chance that Streit made count with a blue line slapshot that seemed to redirect past Avs goalie Sergei Varlamov 6:21 into the second.

Raffl then jammed home a shot that came courtesy of a perfect set-up pass by Sean Couturier 7:05 into the third, leaving Mason to hold court in the crease the rest of the way.